It didn’t take long for Dalton Knecht to find a new NBA team. Just days after the Los Angeles Lakers waived their 2024 first-round pick, the New York Knicks agreed to sign the 6-foot-6 forward to a two-way deal, his agents at Excel Sports Management told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Friday.
Knecht, selected with the No. 17 pick in 2024 after a standout junior season at the University of Tennessee, will look for a fresh start with the defending champs and try to tap into the promise he showed as a rookie in L.A.
During a nine-game stretch in November during the 2024-25 season, Knecht averaged 18.9 points on 55.4% shooting (52.2% from 3), 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
Knecht finished his rookie season averaging 9.1 points on 46.1% shooting (37.6% from 3) and 2.8 rebounds in 19.2 minutes across 78 games. In his second year, his playing time was cut to 10.2 minutes in 54 games, and he averaged 4.2 points on 45.5% shooting (34.2% from 3) and 1.4 rebounds.
The 25-year-old Knecht also received interest from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves, sources told Charania.
New York will have to waive a two-way player to make room for Knecht. The Knicks currently have guard Jaden Akins and forwards Kevin McCullar Jr. and Tyler Nickel occupying their three allotted two-way roster spots.